Successful Launch: Introduction to Business Archives in a New Cooperative Format_手机买足球的app

FH Potsdam
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

With the Introduction to Business Archives course held in December 2025, the cooperation agreed in May 2025 between the Association of Business Archivists (VdW) and the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (ZEW) was successfully put into practice.

Twenty-five participants from across Germany came together at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam to gain solid foundational knowledge and practical insights into business archives. A particular highlight was the excursion to the Brandenburg State Main Archives, where participants gained in-depth insights into archival practice, collection management, and archive facilities.

The academic direction of the course was led by Prof. Dr. Susanne Freund, Professor at the Department of Information Sciences at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. Course and project management was overseen by Dr. Uwe Balder, a member of the VdW executive board. Together with other professors from the university and experienced practitioners from renowned corporate and business archives, the course offered a well-balanced combination of academic expertise and professional practice.

Course evaluations were very positive. Participants particularly highlighted the strong practical relevance of the content, the high quality of the lecturers, and the noticeable increase in professional competence. Almost all respondents stated that they now have a significantly better understanding of business archives and would recommend the course to others. Organisation and support provided by the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam also received consistently high ratings.

The course covered key areas of business archiving, including appraisal and acquisition, collection development and description, records management, digital archiving, historical communication, preservation, and archive facilities. Practical case studies and the collegial exchange among participants were especially appreciated.

Feedback from the evaluation is already being incorporated into the further development of the programme, particularly with regard to formats that encourage professional exchange and the deeper exploration of digital archiving topics.

Following this successful launch, the next course will start in March. Only a few places are still available.